wishing gets you nowhere

haven't we learned that enough? it's true.

so i'm going to try something new. see, i'm eating healthy, that's not my problem. but that only gets you so far. my husband has been extremely motivating, what with his going to the gym 5 days a week. and working with a trainer. and losing weight. and not having cheat days except on sundays. so basically, he's kicking my butt at this "healthy living" thing. so, i'm in. if he can do it-- this man who hated to run is running, hated to get up earlier is doing so-- then i can, too. not the get up early part. i can't really give that up. not yet. BUT i do get out of work about an hour before he does, and i can work out then. i don't have the gym membership that he does, but i DO have the nike training app (i may have mentioned it before?). and it's hard. seriously. my first goal is to actually make it through one whole workout. it won't happen right away, i know that, but i'll still try.

i stopped exercising when i got sick, because i had all sorts of sicks. i was out of commission for two months, but i can't use that as an excuse forever! so i'm ready to live the kind of active lifestyle i eventually want to pass on to my kids, and as my husband already is.

it's on!

Bored?

Maybe it's just the Week 2 slump (Week 1 was fast and furious), but I'm getting kind of bored with Wii Active 30-Day Challenge workouts. Is anyone else feeling this? I haven't skipped even one session (although Wii didn't record Monday's workout because I had to skip a few activities due to my faulty nunchuck) and the past few days I just haven't been feeling like I'm making much progress even though I replaced the nunchuck and the last workout seemed to go smoothly. Maybe I need to bump up my intensity level (I'm still on easy), but I'm afraid if I do that, it'll want me to run for longer and I already hate the running the most.

I get up at 5 AM but getting dressed, a bottle of water, and the wii revved up takes a few minutes and sometimes I don't get started good until 5:15 or 5:20. Then, I'm still running when the hubs comes in the living room after his shower and I get self-conscious.

I saw good results last week. I even tried on dresses (and bought two!) and didn't feel like a fatty, as I usually do. I feel pretty today in the clothes I'm wearing, but I'm just wondering if I'm doing enough. I'm only burning around 100-140 calories with the workouts (usually the lower end). I know I'm probably toning more than anything and that's great because I need it. I just feel like I need something more.

Any suggestions? Should I just scrap the 30-Day Challenge function of the game and customize my own workouts? Should I do Wii Zumba instead (I haven't even put this in the Wii yet to see how long the sessions are)? Or should I add in something else during the day? I don't have a lot of time and 5 AM is the best time for me but I can't leave the house due to a sleeping babe. I can probably get some walking in during lunch but it's already starting to get warm here. I do have access to a gym with a treadmill, elliptical, weight machines, etc. Does anyone have any ideas? I need help!

Are you bored, too? I know I'm not the only one having problems this week. I want to see weight loss (and I haven't lost anything this week, despite doing my workouts and eating 1600 calories or less/day) but I mainly want to get fit.

I don't like to be a quitter. I'd like to finish the 30 days and I'll probably give it another week just to make sure, but I also don't want to be doing something that's not getting me where I need to be.

How are YOU doing?

Are You Ready?

Our Wii Get Fit in 30 Challenge starts Monday! Have you seen our community? If not, go check it out! Create a profile, post some fitness goals, and interact with the members. Together, we can work toward a healthier life.

If you haven't already taken your measurements, check out Hannah's post. I just took mine. *winces* It wasn't pretty, but I fully expect to lower those numbers by the end of April. If you are nosy curious, go dig around on our spruz site and see if you can find them (not gonna post them here). I feel better knowing my friends posted theirs and we can all support each other with encouragement and motivation.

If you still need Wii Active, they sell it at Wal-mart. Go by your local store or order it online. They usually have quick shipping. Or if you don't like Wal-mart, go to Target. Or your local used game store. And if you don't have a Wii at all, no worries! Just try to fit in about 15-20 minutes of activity each day. We'll do our best to guide you.


We'll also be posting every day of the week on how we're doing in the challenge. Saturdays will be check-in day. If you'd like to sound off in the comments and post your progress, we welcome that! If you have any questions, let us know and we'll do our best to help.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I must clean up my living room floor so that I can actually have space to do the workouts (at 5:00 AM no less, can I get some love?).

Time-Constrained Fitness

You know how I was supposed to lose weight for my brother's upcoming wedding? Well, I have ONE month left. And I haven't even gotten started. Although my scales keep telling me I'm losing weight, I don't feel as if I am. Honestly, I think the thing is broken. It's giving me false hope. My clothes still fit the same. So, unless some things have shifted around, I'm just going to assume the scales are wrong (they're telling me I only have about 7 pounds to go to get to my pre-baby weight and that is an outright LIE because my hips, belly, and arms are all much bigger than pre-conception).

So, what is a girl who has no free time to do? I have a brand, spanking new Wii but no Wii Active or whatever the workout programs are. I have the standard Sports that came with it, so do you think that would help me tone up some? My arms need major help, even though I'm toting around a 20-lb kid every day. I'd like to get the Zumba game but don't know if I have time to do it. Any advice for toning up in a month's time. I don't want to loathe myself when I go dress shopping...

How's everyone else doing on their goals for the year? Failing like me?

one week-- right!

i don't even know how many times i've said i'm back. but really. once you stop trying is when you really fail. isn't there a quote like that out there? anyways, leann said recently that it's about changing so much more, and that's true. i can't tell you how great things are in my overall life right now. money's going alright. we're maybe moving to a new place to be able to put some in savings. and, like leann, i'm doing the 30-day challenge on encouraging your husband. god is so good.

so, i guess the next place i need to keep working is at my fitness. and darlings, as much as i talk about wanting to be fit, right now my motivation is weight loss. i'm currently more than i've weighed in about a year or so. blame it on stress from school, or work, or whatever. but blaming doesn't help my jeans fit better. you know what does? watching what i eat. taking a walk during lunch. yeah. that.

so, i've faithfully used the loseit app on my phone for all of last week.

and i did good! as much as it looks like i'm under, i'm sure it's much closer to being on target. i try to document correctly, but when there's three options for "apple", how do i know i'm picking the right one? the good thing about at least writing it all down is that it keeps me accountable. i don't eat whatever i want, then write it down. if i did that, every day would be red. instead, i bring cupcakes for a work meeting, but don't eat any. i choose water over calorie-filled beverages. and i eat breakfast. that's a big one for me.

anyways, i know this post wasn't full of inspiration, or even a recipe, but i just wanted you all to know i'm back. and instead of not documenting my weight because i'm ashamed of it, i'm writing it down now. so if you follow me on twitter, i didn't actually gain 7 pounds in a week. i just hadn't written it down in so long. but it's time to be honest, and follow through!

i need to start walking.

how bout that challenge?

remember the challenge/contest that was mentioned, well, in october??

i've got something for ya now. the new year is coming. and you know what that means. fresh starts. new you. attempts that fail after a month, if you're lucky. two weeks if you're an average american.
i made those stats up. but i believe most of us fail our resolutions soon after we make them.

well, how about more of a participation thing, than an actual resolution? it's not an easy one. but nothing worth it ever is.

i got some free martha stewart magazines thanks to my darling mother-in-law. well, it seems included with this are some issues of whole living, a martha stewart production. it's neat. better than something limited like shape magazine, it seems to encourage general healthy living.

there's a challenge in the january issue-- if you can find this magazine, feel free to get it so you can participate!-- that doesn't look easy. but i'm going to try it, and i am inviting all of you to join it also. i'll start it every monday starting in january, and i'll tell you what the magazine says to do for that week, or you can look at it online here. it is sort of a cleanse, limiting when you eat things like processed foods and sugar and meat. here's the run down of what it will cover:

week 1: pare down and purify
eating lots of smoothies, beans, veggies, millet. fresh fruits, lots of water. avoiding things like added sugar, alcohol, caffeine, wheat, eggs, dairy...
using yoga to detox your body and clearing clutter to detox your mind.

week 2: lay a wholesome foundation
gradually add in some avoided foods like wheat, dairy, soy. i can't wait to try the avocado dressing on the creamy kale salad this week. also get to have oily fish. continue to avoid sugar, processed foods.
continue yoga, focusing on core strength. focus on positive emotions.

week 3: gain momentum
explore spices in your diet. this week's menu includes things like roasted tomatoes, roasted chickpeas, and creamy broccoli-white bean soup. also something that looks like a cookie, but i don't know what amaranth is.
exercise is more cardio and invigorating workouts

week 4: a new you-- for good
increase the plant-to-animal ratio in your diet. the chipotle-avocado sandwich looks delicious. so does the linguine with toasted almonds, lemon, and romano cheese. yum.
continue the workout from week 3.

so. it's not easy. it's also not a crash diet. more of a see-what-you-can-live-without-in-your-diet regime. like sugar, which is a HUGE problem for me. it shouldn't be a daily addition, but more of a fancy treat, you know? i'm not saying that i'm going to follow this all the way. i have some things that will be hard to live without. like a whole week with just smoothies? we'll see how i do. but i thought it would be fun, and i know that when i eat better, and DO remove those certain items from my diet, i feel so much better. so i'm going to really try to show myself i can do this.

use this week to prepare for week 1. log on to the site, and click on the "food and recipes" tab. i've already got the menu pretty much planned out for next week, and it definitely doesn't look like i'll be starving!

Reasons to stay Fit!

I had a great plan. I was gonna come in here, all serious like, with my serious cap on, and tell you all why you should stay fit. And then I was going to tell myself that I should do the same. It was a great plan.

I'm still going to tell you, but it's not going to be as well thought out as I had hoped. However, that doesn't mean it's not just as serious, and just as devastating.

Type 1 Diabetes is prevalent in my family. We are not obese, however this type of diabetes is as unfortunate as it's relative, and just as uncomfortable and deadly. My grandmother died of this last year. Genetically speaking, I'm very aware that there is a good chance I could also have this disease at some point... in thinking of this, and passing (luckily) my gestational glucose screening test last week, I started thinking about a type of diabetes that we CAN try to keep ourselves from getting... Type 2 Diabetes. Although this type is also genetic, there are ways that we can help ourselves, to avoid this unfortunate disease. And for those that try and cannot avoid it, I apologize for making this post seem like I have all the answers.

Now, ideally, I would have researched this all week, learning and sharing with you my findings. Unfortunately my life doesn't always allow for this luxury and this week, I couldn't quite get the ball rolling. (There was ALOT of tweeting to do people... do you know how much time that takes up?)

Instead, I will link you to the wikipedia page, so that you may have a read through, and remember why it is that it's important for us to eat healthy, and stay fit. Why it is important that we teach our children how to do the same, and why it is important that we nag the heck out of our husbands to lay off the crap.

And thank you. Without this blog, and my thoughts on an idea to help us stay fit, I would have never really thought as hard, or read up as much, on this disease. I really needed this reminder.

Type 2 Diabetes Information